


Sunshine and Coffee

by nugatory



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-22 21:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19979347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nugatory/pseuds/nugatory
Summary: Typical morning at the Raleigh house.





	Sunshine and Coffee

Eric propped his head up on his hand, watching Aaron slumber as the first rays of morning light peeked through the blinds. Aaron’s brow was relaxed, his expression peaceful, which meant he wasn’t locked in one of the many recurring nightmares they both seemed to suffer from more and more frequently. His waves of curls were even more unruly after being mashed against the pillow all night, and Eric chuckled softly to himself knowing Aaron would grunt in annoyance at his own reflection once he woke up.

Pressing a tender kiss to Aaron’s forehead, Eric quietly slipped out of bed and made his way downstairs to start breakfast. With supplies starting to get low, Eric was having to learn how to be a little more creative in the kitchen and find substitutes for things like butter and oil and eggs. As much as Aaron hated applesauce, it usually was the best substitute, so Eric would add it to recipes and simply omit telling him about it.

With their apple trees ripe for the picking, apples were in abundance, and the small garden that Eric had started in their backyard was putting out some nice zucchini and tomatoes. Having grown up on farmlands in the Appalachians, Eric had watched his mother and grandmother make almost every meal from scratch. Armed with years of recipes, he set to making fresh apple zucchini muffins.

Just as he was pouring the batter into the muffin pan, he heard Aaron trotting down the stairs with a sleepy yawn, and smiled to himself. "Morning, babe."

Aaron padded barefoot across the wood flooring to where Eric was working at the counter. Warm arms encircled Eric's waist as Aaron pressed up against his back, nuzzling against his lover's neck. "Morning," came the sleepy response. "What're you making?"

"Muffins." Eric replied simply, knowing Aaron would make a face if he knew precisely what kind before he tried them.

Aaron kissed his shoulder, moving back so that Eric could put the pan in the oven and set the timer, then opened his arms as Eric stepped into them, greeting his lover with a warm and lingering 'good morning' kiss. "Sleep okay?"

"Mhm," Eric replied, resting his head on Aaron's shoulder and holding him loosely around the waist. "No dreams. What about you?"

"No dreams that I remember."

It was almost cause for celebration when their dreams weren't filled with the horrors of death that surrounded them now. Eric lifted his head and pursed his lips for another kiss, which Aaron happily obliged. "Coffee?"

"We still have some?" Aaron asked, eyebrows raising with surprised delight.

"Not the good stuff, just that really weak instant crap, but it's better than nothing." Eric shrugged.

"Coffee's coffee at this point," Aaron half shrugged in response and Eric kissed him once more before filling the kettle with water and putting it on the stove. Aaron moved to sit on one of the bar stools, scrubbing his hand over his face to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he yawned again. "What are you going to do today?"

"Help Maggie, I think. Before everything happened with the roamers getting through the gate, she and Deanna were going to start a patch of crops. Figured I could give them my expertise on that. What about you? Did you decide if you're going to go on the supply run with Daryl?" Aaron was quiet for a minute, chewing the inside of his lower lip, and Eric looked at him with sadness, rounding the island in the kitchen to stand next to Aaron, a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Babe...it wasn't your fault."

"It was, Eric. If I hadn't dropped my bag..." Aaron was still holding onto the guilt of the Wolves finding his pack and the pictures of Alexandria. "Everyone who died..."

"It wasn't your fault," Eric reiterated, running his hand soothingly up and down Aaron's back. "You can't let what happened stop you from going back out there, Aaron. You can't let it make you afraid."

"I could have lost you," Aaron said after a moment, looking at Eric with fear and remorse etched into his face. "I led those people right to us and they could have killed you."

"But they didn't. I'm still here." Eric cupped his face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs and leaning in to kiss him. "If you can't go on the supply runs with Daryl yet, at least go beyond the walls. Start off in the shallow end and work your way back into it. Okay?"

Aaron breathed in and released a shaky breath, nodding. He lightly grasped the back of Eric's neck and brought their foreheads together, drawing strength and courage from his better half. "Okay. I'll try."

"That's all I ask." The timer sounded on the counter and Eric pressed a kiss to Aaron's forehead before moving to silence it and take the muffins out of the oven, carefully pressing the tops to test if they were done. Aaron fetched down a couple of plates from the cupboard while Eric retrieved their coffee cups and made the best coffee he could manage with what he had.

Armed with muffins and coffee, the two moved to the front porch and sat on the steps to enjoy their breakfast as the rest of the community began to wake up. On days like this, with the warm sun peeking through the trees as it rose in the sky, and the dewy smell of morning still lingering, it was easier to forget about the horrors that lay beyond the walls of the Safe Zone; and that's precisely what both Aaron and Eric chose to do as they sipped coffee and ate their muffins.

And once again, Eric managed to get away with using applesauce without Aaron knowing about it.


End file.
